Dirty Coal. Dirty Power. Dirty TXU.

by Rita Beving, Conservation Co-chair

While an air pollution reduction plan is being developed for our 9-county region by officials at the North Texas Clean Air Steering Committee, a recent announcement by TXU Energy could be the devastating blow that keeps the DFW area from cleaning up its dirty air by 2010.

In late April, TXU announced plans to submit applications to build nine coal-fired power plants in Texas. TXU had already announced its intentions this past fall to build two dirty lignite plants along with five other coal-fired plants to be built by other companies. All the proposed coal-fired plants for Texas now total sixteen – almost doubling the number of coal-fired plants that exist in Texas today.

The new plants will produce an estimated 220,000 tons of new pollution with an estimate of more than 30,000 tons of nitrogen oxide. It is also estimated that these dirty coal plants could produce as much as 4,000 tons of mercury, a deadly pollutant that causes brain damage, birth defects and more. Already the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has found that there is a 17 percent increase in autism for every 1,000 pounds of mercury pollution. 4,000 pounds could translate into as much as a 68% increase in autism for our state.

TXU's proposed Oak Grove plant in Robertson County – 125 miles from Dallas – would become the new "worst mercury-emitting power plant in the nation" superceding its Monticello plant, which already holds that distinction.

TXU claims its new plants will make a 20% emissions reduction with Best Available Control Technology, but one should know that this is not the "clean coal" technology as depicted on recent TV commercials. If TXU used "clean coal” technology, it would use gasification (IGCC) technology. Gasification allows a plant to separate and capture mercury, carbon and other smog-forming pollutants, which is not feasible during normal coal combustion. Gasification allows for up to a 50-70% reduction in emissions. This technology is already being employed in Indiana and Florida, with other new IGCC plants proposed in other states.

North Texas Clean Air Steering Committee members are already struggling to find one third of the of nitrogen oxide emission reductions needed from various measures for our region to reach attainment by 2010. Even though these existing facilities are not close by, coal-fired power plants account for 33% of our local industrial air pollution, only surpassed by the cement kilns in Ellis County at 35%. Imagine what the building 16 new coal-fired power plants does to that equation?

Besides autism, the increased health impacts by these coal plants could be staggering in other ways. According to the American Lung Association, asthma is already the leading reason why children miss school. One out of 8 children do, or will, have asthma in their lifetime. Already Children's Medical Hospital in Dallas is the busiest children’s hospital in the nation, largely due to respiratory emergencies.

Is TXU a good corporate citizen? You be the judge. The business economics of dirty air has already kept Boeing and Toyota from coming to our area. TXU claims it buys more wind energy than anyone in the state. So why don't they simply develop more wind power instead of using coal?

Coal may be cheap, but at what cost to the health of your family, children and grandchildren?

As of May 9th, a subcommittee of the Dallas City Council has decided to further explore if it should intervene on TXU's, and others' proposed coal-fired power plant, permits. Pick up the phone and tell all the Dallas City Council members that you would support this effort. In the meantime, think about this: Where you are getting your power from?